Process of carbureting water-gas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. VILLSON, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ELEOTRO GASCOMPANY, OF VEST VIRGINIA.'

PROCESS OF CARBURETING WATER-GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,443, dated January21, 1896.

Application filed Decem'berl9, 1894:. Serial No. 532,356. (Nospecimens.)

T0 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. VVILLSON, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes forthe Production of Illuminating- Gas, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved process of enriching or increasingthe illuminating power of illuminatinggas by adding thereto indetermined quantities acetylene gas under such conditions as that an'economical and practical illuminating-gas of increased brilliancy willbe produced.-

In carrying out my process I propose to add to an illuminating-gascontaining hydrocarbon a determined percentage of acetyleneindependently produced.

I have discovered that in order to accomplish a practical commercialresult it is necessary that the acetylene be added to water-gas whichcontains an illuminant in the nature of a hydrocarbon distinct from thebody of the gas itself. In other words, if acetylene is added towater-gas consisting generally of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbondioxide, the added illumination after a short time decreases orpractically disappears,

whereas if the gas is illuminating-gas having a free hydrocarbon theilluminating efiect of the acetylene continues and remains practicallypermanent. It is probable that a combination occurs between acetyleneand free hydrocarbon as follows:

whereas if the free hydrocarbons were present with the hydrogen acombination might occur between such hydrocarbons and the hydrogenbefore the addition of the acetylene. This theory, however, is onlyprobable and not stated as a fact; but the disappearance of theacetylene as an illuminant does occur, but is prevented from occurringbyan excess of an illuminant in the water-gas before the addition ofacetylene. I propose, therefore, to add in any suitable way to awater-gas, enriched, say, to an illuminating power of fifteen candles, adetermined percentagesay ten per cent-of acetylene. The result of thiswill be to increase the illuminating power of the water-gas to, say,thirty-five-candle power.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The process of carbureting, water gas, consisting in first addingthereto illuminating hydrocarbon and fixing the same, and in then addingthereto acetylene gas independently produced, substantially asdescribed.

2. As a new product, water gas having illuminating hydrocarbons, andacetylene gas independently made and added thereto, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS L. WILLSON.

\Vitnesses H. CONSTANT, W. LAIRD Gonnsnoaouon.

